Shining a light on our volunteers during Sustainable Fashion Week
This Sustainable Fashion Week, Rowcroft Hospice is proud to highlight the inspiring work of volunteers like Anna, whose needlework skills give damaged garments a new lease of life while raising much-needed funds for the hospice.
Anna, who along with a group from the local Women’s Institute, supports Rowcroft’s Babbacombe shop. She has been using her sewing skills to repair donated vintage clothing items – restoring them to their former glory and keeping them out of landfill by making simple repairs such as re-sewing hems and darning moth-holes.
Challenging fast fashion and waste
“I’ve been helping the vintage team with simple mending tasks since the start of the year,” said Anna. “Donated clothing often shows some wear and tear, but many of these older pieces were made to last and can be brought back to life and cherished again.
“We’re so used to fast fashion and throwaway culture that this lifestyle has become normalised. We’re constantly bombarded with ‘wear once’ clothing imported from around the world. Beyond the environmental damage caused by producing and transporting these garments, most end up in landfill once they’re discarded.”
Sewing skills that make a difference
The fashion industry is one of the most polluting in the world, with millions of tonnes of clothing sent to landfill every year. In the UK alone, an estimated 350,000 tonnes of wearable garments end up in landfill each year. Anna believes that the skills many people already have – like sewing, darning, and hemming – can play a powerful role in building a more sustainable future.
“Many of us grew up being taught to sew and mend, and it’s such a simple way to make a difference. Even something small, like sewing on a missing button, can mean the difference between an item being discarded or treasured. We can keep clothes out of landfill, raise funds for the hospice, and challenge wasteful habits.”
Raising funds through vintage fashion
The garments Anna carefully repairs are sold in Rowcroft’s charity shops and online vintage stores, raising vital funds for local families facing life-limiting illnesses. Recently, she re-sewed the buttons on a vintage leather dress that sold for £95 – a powerful example of the impact of her work.
“I take home a bag of clothes to work on with my Women’s Institute group and in my own time, with no pressure,” says Anna. “It’s flexible, meaningful, and it feels good to know I’m helping in this way.”
Inspiring a greener future
This Sustainable Fashion Week, Rowcroft Hospice hopes to inspire more people to think about the way they shop. Choosing preloved fashion, repairing instead of replacing, and donating unwanted clothes are all powerful steps towards a greener future.
A word of thanks to our volunteers
Caroline Wannell, Director of Retail at Rowcroft Hospice, expressed the hospice’s gratitude for its volunteers: “We are incredibly grateful to our volunteers, whose time and skills make such a difference to our hospice and the families we support. Their amazing work helps us continue our vital care in the community.”
For more information about Rowcroft’s charity shops and online vintage stores, or to find out more about volunteering with Rowcroft, please visit: rowcrofthospice.org.uk
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